Draft gear



` Sept: 4, 1928.

E. H. WALKER DRAFT GEAR Filed Jan. 18, 1923 guus-11h31:

N? zi'wq Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

l UNITE STATES PATE NT OFFICE.

nni/runn n. Wannen, or new Yoan, n. Y.

I :onlinr GEAR.k

Application filed January `18, 1923. Serial No. 613,357.

My invention relates to friction draft gear and niore especially to an improved con struction of spring barrel and follower block i rection than in the other and thickened `in parts to afford better support for the well known Sessions friction head er befr.

A further object of inyinvention resides in the provision of a strong, durable and inexpensive barrel or casing of conliparatively light weight, the saniebeing preferably cast octagonal in shape with portions of the barrel wall adjacent the center sills increased 1n cross sectional area to provide `coluinns of greater strength value capable of effectively transmitting loads directly to the draft lugs, said coluinns `being located in the wider portion of the barrel and disposed beneath the wider portion of the friction head whereby strains incident to the operation of the fric tion device 'under service conditions are effectively resisted.

il still further object of the invention is to provide a spring barrel in which the follower bloei; portion is reinforced by ribs or webs which are arranged to provide a benin action between the lugs 4carried by the draft sills, said ribbing also forming a spring seat portion in the body of the barrel.

iftnother feature of the invention is to provide bracing ineens for the follower block on the exterior of the barrel, and guide means within trie barrel at the wider portions thereof adapted to guide the spring and spring follower in the barrel.

The invention further consists in the conibination, arrangement and construction of t-he several parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claiins.

ln the drawings:

Figure l a plan view illustrating an einbodiinent of iny invention associated with the friction shoclr absorbing devices in eluded within the railway draft rigging shown.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a barrel constructed in accordance with my present invention.

` Figure 3 is a view looking from the open l end of the barrel into the interior thereof.

lligurel is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the barrel on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is al detail side view of the `followerend of the barrel illustrating theribs` bracing or reinforcing the follower `block portions. l

Referring to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views, ther-eis showna railway draft rigging including center sills or draft-sills l, each of said sills being provided with forward stop nieinbers or draft lugs 2 and rear stopineinbers or lugs 3 between which is arranged the friction dra-ft gear. A. yoke fof the vertical ty 3e is ar` ranged between the center sills, the coupler 5 being connected to the forward end ofthe yolre in any desired inanner.

The friction shock absorbing device `illustrated is of the Sessions type and comprises l a friction head or bon @having contained therein a plurality of friction elements. indicated generally `by the numeral in 'Fig-` ure l. The friction head may be ofthe usual construction and is provided with rearwardly extending projections 8 adapted to engage one end of iny improvedbarrel 9 with which the friction head contacts and in which is contained the cushioning device of the gear.

V'l, l. n the presenJ construction of springbarrel includes in addition tothe follower block portion to be presently described, a plurality of sido wall portions extending longitudinally of the barrel, said side wall portions being arranged to forno multi-sided shell ineinber hai/'ing a greater transverse dimension in `one direction than in the other. The" loo casing, the diagonal portions 'l0 of the wall l being arranged to unite the horizontally disposedwall portions `ll and the verticallyar` ranged wall portions l2. l r `Portions `of the side walls of the barrel are increased in cross sectional area, said portions being preferably l'ocated in the `widest part of the barrel and `relatively head or box and the contacting portions of theyoke, thereby providing greater column strength for resistingthe strains to` which the barrel subjected under service conditions.` flhe thickened portions of the barrel are `also adapted to overlie the front or draft lugs 2 and the rear stop members or lugs 3, this arrangement of the increased cross sectional areas provided in the barrel acting to materially reduce the shear strains of the associated part-s included within the draft rigging. In addition, the location of the increased cross sectional area of metal at the `widest portion of the fraction head serves to provide a very strong support for said head at points which receive great` stress. The thickened portions of the barrel wall are`in my present construction, dis- ,posed substantially on the horizontal axis of the barrel, substantial portions of the thickened parts extending above and below said horizontal axis.

The barrel is provided at its forward end i with an integral follower block 13, and at its opposite end is open for purposes of engaging the adjacent face or edge of the friction head or box 6. The follower block 13 forms the base or closed end wall of the barrel, said follower being constructed of standard A. R. A. measurements so that the relative thickness of the end wall substantially equals that of the usual follower for which my present combined construction is substituted. In practice the overall dimension of the conlbined spring barrel and follower equals that of the standard length barrel and independont follower block new used in railway draft rigging of the type herein disclosed.

The follower block is cast integral with the side wall portions of the barrel, as clearly shown in Figure 4, portions of said block extending beyond the wider and thickened side wall portions of the barrel to provide projections adapted to engage the draft lugs 2, as best shown in Figure 4. The projecting portions of the follower block are preferably braced or reinforced by means of a plurality of webs 14 which unite the side walls ofthe barrel with the follower, said webs 14 extending rearwardly of the follower and having portions paralleling the side wall's of the barrel. Some of the webs are` also preferably arranged to extend upon both sides of the vertical plane passing through the thickened column portions of the barrel, and all of said reinforcing webs are adapted to overlieJ the draft lugs, thereby greatly adding to the strength of the follower at these points.

The interior of the barrel and particularly the closed or follower end thereof is reinforced with a series of advantageously disposed ribs, said ribs being arranged to provide reinforcing members 15 which act in the nature of a beam between the draft lugs on the sills. Circular ribbing may also be provided, said ribbing intersecting the reinforcing members 15 and formingl seats for the cushioning springs. A vertically disposed reinforcing rib 16 may be provided, said rib intersecting the annular ribbing forming the spring seat.

Guide ribs are preferably provided in the wider portion of the barrel to support and maintain the springs centrally thereof for cooperation with the other parts of the gear. The guide ribs 17 are arranged at the follower end of the barrel and the guide ribs indicated by the numeral 18 are arranged at the open end of the barrel, said last named ribs being of sufficient length to allow for all spring compression and effectively guide the spring under all conditions. y

An opening is `provided in the follower end of the barrel, said openin servin to lighten the weight of the casting Wit out deleteriously reducing its strength value and also acting to support the core used in molding the combined spring barrel and follower.

A castingconstructed in accordance with my present invention acts to effectively resist strains and stresses incident to service conditions, it being observed that the heavy loads imparted to the gear are transmitted `from thefriction box or head through the barrel and particularl'y the thickened portions thereof ad'acent the center sills, so that the thrusts are directl imparted to the draft lugs. It is to be un( erstood from the fore- `going description that the terms used are to be taken in their descriptive sense and not in their limiting sense.

I claim: I

1. In a draft rigging, the combination with a separable friction head, of a spring barrel for cooperating with said head, said barrel comprising an octagonal casting having a pair of side walls engaging said head beyond said friction faces, said side walls being of greater thickness than the adjacent walls of said casting, and means integral with said walls for closing one end of said barrel. i

2. In a draft rigging, the combination with a. separable friction head, of a combined cast steel barrel and follower block, portions of the side walls of said barrel being thickened to provide columns of increased cross-sectional area arranged for engaging within and `supporting said head, and webs for integrally connecting the exterior faces of said side wall portions to said follower block.

3. In a draft rigging, the combination with a separable friction head, having an opening at one end substantially rectangular in outline and an opening at the opposite end substantially octagonal in outline, the side walls of the rectangular end of said head being adapted to form converging friction faces, and a spring barrel for co-operating with said head, said barrel being substantially octagonal in cross-Section, the side walls thereof positioned in rear of said friction faces being of greater thickness than the walls adjacent thereto to provide colnmns of increased cross-sectional area tosupport said friction faces, a. follower block disposed at the opposite end of said barrel, and means integral with said walls for connecting said follower block and barrel.

l. In a draft rigging, the combination with center sills, of a coupler and yoke., stop members connected to said sills and extending inwardly therefrom, a shock absorbing mechanism involving a separable friction head having a pair of converging friction faces, said head having its greatest dimension arranged parallel to the planes of said yoke arms and said friction faces at right angles to the planes of said arms, a spring barrel cooperating with said head, said barrel having a pair of opposed side walls positioned in rean of said friction faces and adapted respectively to overlie the inwardly projecting portions of said stops, a follower interposed between a pair of said stops and the adjacent ends of said side walls, and means comp ising ribs projecting from the opposite faces of said side walls for reinforcing the latter, some of said ribs serving to integrally connect said side walls and follower.

5. In a draft rigging, the combination with a separable friction head, the side walls of which form friction faces, of a spring barrel cooperating with said head, said barrel being octagonal in cross section, the opposite walls thereof positioned adjacent said friction faces being of greater thickness than the walls joining therewith to provide columns of increased cross sectional area supporting said friction faces, a follower block formed integral with the opposite end of said barrel, and integral ribs b acing said follower with respect to said barrel.

6. In a draft rigging, the combination with center sills, of a coupler and yoke, stop members connected to said sills and extending inwardly therefrom, a cushioning` mechanism comprising a separable friction head having a pair of friction faces, a spring barrel cooperating with said head, said barrel having a pair of side walls positioned adjacent said friction faces and adapted, respectively, to overlie the inwardly projecting portions of said stops, a follower interposed between said stops and the adjacent ends of said side 'alls, and ribs projecting from the ,j opposite faces of said side walls for reinforcing the latter, certain of said ribs serving to strengthen the connection between the side walls and follower.

7. A. spring barrel for draft gear Octagonal in cross section and formed with opposite side walls made thicker than the walls adjacent thereto to provide columns of increased cross sectional area for supporting a cooperating friction head, a follower block formed integral with the opposite end of said barrel, and means for strengthening the connection between said barrel and block.

8. A spring barrel for railway draft gear octagonal in cross section and having one end open and its other end closed, the barrel being of uniform dimensions along every line of transverse section, the closed end being provided interiorly of the barrel with a plurzlity of reinforcing webs and being formed exteriorly of the barrel with lateral projections having parallel edges and dei-ining a. follower, and reinforcing webs at the juncture of the lateral extensions with the barrel, said last named webs merging into the walls of the barrel, cert-ain of the last named webs merging into the side walls opposite the first named webs whereby said side walls will have the maximum reinforcement,

9. A spring barrel for draft gear having opposite side walls made thicker than the walls adjacent thereto to provide columns of increased cross sectional area for supporting a cooperating friction head, one end of the barrel being closed by an end wall provided at its inner face with reinforcing webs merging into said side walls to reinforce the latter, said side walls being additionally provided with interiorly arranged ribs serving as guide means for a cushioning device and further serving to reinforce said side walls. i

In testimony whereof I aflir my signature.

lnnivninin n. Wannen. 

